Delays expected during debate, drivers encouraged to plan ahead

Vehicles drive on the segment of Interstate 25 that will be closed during first presidential debate on October 2, 2012 in Denver (Getty Images North America | Doug Pensinger)

Denver Public Works has about 50,000 reasons why motorists should give serious thought to Wednesday's metro commute.

That is the number of cars expected to be diverted onto the Santa Fe Drive-Hampden Avenue detour between 5 - 10 p.m. when Interstate 25 is closed for the presidential debate at the University of Denver.

That figure is more than double the amount of traffic normally traveling I-25 between Santa Fe and Hampden daily, Denver Public Works spokeswoman Emily Williams said.

The green-cycle for traffic lights will be extended along Santa Fe and Hampden in order to help with the increased flow, Williams said.

However, drivers are strongly encouraged to take some time beforehand and figure out a plan for Wednesday's afternoon commute.

First and foremost, those who can avoid DU and the surrounding area — or can change their schedule to leave before the 5 p.m. closures — should do so, traffic planners said.

Santa Fe-Hampden is the most obvious detour, but, it will also be the most crowded.

RTD FasTracks spokesman Kevin Flynn suggested light rail for travel, as the entire system will be in operation, but said for those who must drive, he offered some other decent options.

"I've found Sheridan (Boulevard) to be a great hidden jewel," Flynn said.

C-470 and the E-470 toll road are good alternatives for drivers not needing to go through the metro area.

However, interstate highways will have a higher volume of oversize and overweight vehicles — including school buses — because they will not be allowed to travel on I-25 between Interstates 76 and 225 from 3 to 11 p.m. Also, large vehicles are prohibited from traveling on U.S. 85 between I-25 and Hampden and on Hampden between Santa Fe and I-25 from 3 to 10 p.m.

Denver Police spokeswoman Raquel Lopez said additional officers will be on traffic and security detail, but could not confirm how many.

Article Comments

We reserve the right to remove any comment that violates our ground rules, is spammy, NSFW, defamatory, rude, reckless to the community, etc.

We expect everyone to be respectful of other commenters. It's fine to have differences of opinion, but there's no need to act like a jerk.

Use your own words (don't copy and paste from elsewhere), be honest and don't pretend to be someone (or something) you're not.

Our commenting section is self-policing, so if you see a comment that violates our ground rules, flag it (mouse over to the far right of the commenter's name until you see the flag symbol and click that), then we'll review it.